Troutbitten

The down wing dry fly style is a perfect match for one of the most ubiquitous insects found in trout rivers across the planet: caddis. The down wing platform is also a first choice for matching many terrestrials, like moths and hoppers, and it finds it's way to stonefly patterns as well.
But for this discussion, we cover the down wing and its progression into fly boxes, by looking at three standouts: the Elk Hair Caddis, the X-Caddis and the CDC & Elk. Because the arrival of each of these patterns brought forth major innovations to the world of dry flies. All three of these are down wings, but they are very different players on the water.
The down wing, like all of these dry fly platforms, is a structural philosophy. There are reasons for having a wing that lays flat rather than stands up. The down wing is a canvas to be creative with. It starts with a wing that angles back.  Then, materials used for the undercarriage dictate how the fly behaves on the surface, along with where, when and how we expect trout to respond.
My good friend, Bill Dell, joins me for a thorough look at another of our favorite fly platforms.

Resources
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fly Tying - Essential Tools and More (S17 Ep9)
READ: Troutbitten | Pattern vs Presentation
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fishing Dry Flies - Dry Fly Skills Series  (S12)

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Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
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Thanks to Skwala
Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

With its simple form of wing, body and tail, the Comparadun is another template for the dry fly angle -- another perfectly adaptable platform.
When the Comparadun hit the scene in the 1970’s, it was a significant departure from the norm. Anglers recognized this, but more importantly, the trout recognized this. The Comparadun became a hatch matcher. It became the closer, because the Comparadun specialized in fooling selective trout, with perhaps the most realistic profile of a mayfly out there.
The unique design of the Comparadun caught on quickly, because, once again, it solved problems on the water. And it's been fooling wise River trout ever since.
In this episode, we go into detail about the Comparadun — a little history, a parts list, some tying tips, fishing situations and best times to choose a Comparadun.
My good friend, Bill Dell, joins me for a thorough look into one of our favorite flies.
Resources
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fly Tying - Essential Tools and More (S17 Ep9)
READ: Troutbitten | Pattern vs Presentation
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fishing Dry Flies - Dry Fly Skills Series  (S12)

Visit

Troutbitten Website

Troutbitten Instagram

Troutbitten YouTube

Troutbitten Facebook
Thanks to TroutRoutes:
Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com
Thanks to Skwala
Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

The parachute platform is our favorite style of dry fly and the favorite of many other anglers, because of its utility. Because it form is functional. Because it casts well, lands upright and keeps floating, even though heavy water. It fools picky trout and looks enough like an emerger and a spinner that you might get away with one fly, all the way through cycle. It's a great dry-dropper fly, it's easily adaptable. And perhaps its best quality . . . you can see the parachute post.
For all of those reasons, the Parachute dry fly platform is close to perfection.
My good friend, Austin Dando, joins me for a thorough look into the Parachute.

Resources
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fly Tying - Essential Tools and More (S17 Ep9)
READ: Troutbitten | Pattern vs Presentation
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fishing Dry Flies - Dry Fly Skills Series  (S12)

Visit

Troutbitten Website

Troutbitten Instagram

Troutbitten YouTube

Troutbitten Facebook
Thanks to TroutRoutes:
Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com
Thanks to Skwala
Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

Season 18 is a unique look at dry fly styles, through the concept of platforms. By taking a fly shape, a form or a set of materials, we can adapt the elements like color, wing style, tailing material or hackle length to meet the moment. Within the fly platform, we vary its properties to the river conditions or to a specific hatch.
In this seven part Skills Series for season 18, we cover these six dry fly platforms:
1: Upright Hackles
2: Parachutes
3. Comparaduns
4. Down Wings
5. Hoppers and Stoneflies
6. Emergers
This first episode looks at the platform of Upright Hackles. A classic Catskill style, like the Adams, is a perfect example of this platform. Both slimmer and beefier versions are common, each of which are adapted to prioritize the selectivity of the trout or the buoyancy of the fly against heavier currents.
Upright Hackles are perhaps the most common dry fly style, and many popular patterns fit into this platform.
In this episode, we look at the specifics for hook, tail, body, wing and hackle for our first platform in this Skills Series -- the Upright Hackle.
This is a great breakdown and a fun conversation with my friend Austin Dando.

Resources
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fly Tying - Essential Tools and More (S17 Ep9)
READ: Troutbitten | Pattern vs Presentation
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fishing Dry Flies - Dry Fly Skills Series  (S12)

Visit

Troutbitten Website

Troutbitten Instagram

Troutbitten YouTube

Troutbitten Facebook
Thanks to TroutRoutes:
Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com
Thanks to Skwala
Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

We’re here to talk about approaching the river — approaching the trout — to put our boots in the best place, with a strategy for making the casts and catching fish.
We focus so much on the drifting, on the presentation and the casting — on the technical aspects of getting all of those things just right — that it’s easy to overlook the skill that comes before all of that . . .
And make no mistake, the approach is a skill. It’s about making a plan. It’s about choosing a piece of water and deciding at which angle we’ll make the cast.
We consider all of it in this episode. We also look at some intangibles like bug life and light angles, like water levels and how we might mask our presence from the trout. Because scared trout don’t eat, and honestly, that has to be our first consideration.
This is a great conversation with my friends Matt Grobe and Bill Dell. 
Resources
PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Spooky Trout - What Scares Fish and How to Avoid Spooking Them
READ: Troutbitten | The Spooky Trout - Find Their Blind Spot
READ: Troutbitten | Are You Spooking Trout?
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Pre-Trip Efficiencies
 Visit

Troutbitten Website

Troutbitten Instagram

Troutbitten YouTube

Troutbitten Facebook
Thanks to TroutRoutes:
Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com
Thanks to Skwala
Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/